When functioning properly, a heart maintains its own intrinsic rhythm, and is capable of pumping adequate blood throughout a circulatory system. This intrinsic rhythm is a function of intrinsic signals generated by the sinoatrial node, or SA node, located in the upper right atrium. The SA node periodically depolarizes, which in turn causes the atrial heart tissue to depolarize such that right and left atria contract as the depolarization travels through the atrial heart tissue. The atrial depolarization signal is also received by the atrioventricular node, or AV node, which, in turn, triggers a subsequent ventricular depolarization signal that travels through and depolarizes the ventricular heart tissue causing the right and left ventricles to contract.
Some patients, however, have irregular cardiac rhythms, referred to as cardiac arrhythmias. Cardiac arrhythmias result in diminished blood circulation because of diminished cardiac output. Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia that reduces the pumping efficiency of the heart. Atrial fibrillation is characterized by rapid, irregular, uncoordinated depolarizations of the atria. These depolarizations may not originate from the SA node, but may instead originate from an arrhythmogenic substrate, such as an ectopic focus, within the atrial heart tissue. The reduced pumping efficiency due to atrial fibrillation requires the ventricles to work harder, which is particularly undesirable in sick patients that cannot tolerate additional stresses. As a result of atrial fibrillation, patients must typically limit activity and exercise.
An even more serious problem, however, is the induction of rapid and irregular ventricular heart rhythms by the atrial fibrillation. Irregular atrial depolarization signals associated with atrial fibrillation are received by the AV node and may be conducted to the ventricles. During atrial fibrillation, the intervals between ventricular depolarizations may be shortened and vary substantially. Such induced arrhythmias compromise pumping efficiency even more drastically than atrial arrhythmias. This phenomenon is referred to as rapidly conducted atrial fibrillation, or “conducted AF.”